The present invention relates generally to electronic apparatuses, and more particularly an electronic peripheral. The present invention is suitable, for example, for an image pick-up device for functionally expanding a portable information terminal, such as a personal digital assistant (“PDA”).
Scanners as a device for reading an image on a medium have conventionally been widely known, and miniature scanners have been proposed suitable for portability. A portable scanner, different from other peripherals, such as a digital camera, requires a user to move the scanner on the medium, and thus is demanded to provide good operability, e.g., smooth scan movements and easy read control operations. Known portable scanners include one connected to a personal computer (referred to as a “PC” hereinafter) through a cable and a stand-alone type that has a memory to store an image in the device.
However, the cable in the cable connection type hinders smooth operations, while the stand-alone type requires a computer to view obtained images and is awkward to handle. A portable scanner serves only as a scanner, and is hard to catch up with the recent multifunctional trend of portable terminals.
Accordingly, the instant inventors have addressed a small and portable information terminal that has functions similar to the PC. The recent development of electronic apparatuses, such as a PDA, has promoted smaller, lower profile and lighter miniature and portable information terminals, such as a PDA, to enhance its portability. In addition, a method for functionally expanding a portable terminal in accordance with users'preferences by providing the portable terminal with a compact flash (“CF”) (card) slot and PC (card) slot so as to make the portable terminal multifunctional. When the scanner part is connected to the PDA through an interface such as a CF slot, the console part, memory, and indicator on the PDA may become available and the power may become supplied from the PDA. The cable may be omitted by using the CF card, and the obtained image may be confirmed as image data on site. For example, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 7-283910 discloses an image reader including a PC card and a scanner.
However, since it has not yet been contemplated that a scanner part is inserted though a CF card, etc. into a conventional PDA, a user cannot always obtain the expected operability. For example, the PDA itself is a long in the perpendicular direction, and the CF slot is often adapted to be inserted into the PDA from the top. In addition, the PDA typically has a console part at its lower portion. Consequently, when the CF card with a scanner function is inserted into the PDA, the scanner part is located at the top while the console part is located at the lower portion. In use, the scanner part is pressed onto the medium by holding the device up side down, and thus the scanner part is located at the bottom while the console part is located at the upper portion. When a portion near the scanner part is held so as to smoothly move the scanner part along the medium, the user should release his hand from the holding part and operate the console part to start and stop reading, since the holding part is apart from the console part. Thus, disadvantageously, the conventional device has bad operability. The instant inventors have found that a mere combination of the scanner part and CF card, etc. would be insufficient.